way forward on the fiscal cliff. we got this from another house republican a few moments ago. >> we're going over the cliff because frankly i believe it is what the president wants. if you go back and look how he has handled this negotiation from the very beginning, go back and look what his own administration has been telling him for years. that tax rates need to go up on everybody. this has been the president's position i believe from the very beginning and i think that's where we'll end up. >> reporter: the president suggested a christmas holiday, maybe a cooling-off period, a time for lawmakers to go home and think what they want to do about the fiscal cliff. it sounds like post-christmas everybody is more pessimistic than ever. harris? harris: they have got travel woes too right now. there are people who might want to get back to washington and can't as they wait for certain snowstorms to move along. mike, thank you very much. >> reporter: thank you. jon: you knew the fiscal cliff could hit you hard in the paych